Coal-chute.



F ."H. MASON& J. ALLEN.)

COAL CHUTE. v

APPLICATION FILED OCTJ. 1914.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

- plnmsscs COAL-GHUTEJ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Application filed October 1, 1914. Serial No. 864,486.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRED H. MASON and JAMES ALLEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Chutes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the 'art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to conveyers, and more especially to chutes; and the object of the same is to provide a chute with means for retarding the flow of material down it. More particularly this retarder' is useful in a chute which conveys coal in a coal breaker where in many instances the coal slides down a long chute and attains considerable speed so that when it comes to rest or when it drops from one chute section to another the particles or lumps of coal strike against each other and are broken up undesirably.

The general purpose of the present invention is to retard the flow of coal along the chute near the lower end of the latter, without injuring the lumps or breaking them into smaller particles, and a further object of the invention is to provide means for rendering the device adjustable for reasons which will appear hereinafter.

These objects are carried out by the construction described and claimedbelow and shown in the drawings Wherein Figure 1 is a. side elevation ofthis coal chute and retarder in use, showing a vertical section of two lengths or sections of-the coal chute, with lumps of coal passing through the device. Fig. 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale, showing the parts of the retarder itself.

In the embodiment of our invention illustrated in the drawings, the letter U designates an upper chute or chute section, and the letter L a lower chute or chute section, the lower end of the upper section overlapping the upper end of the lower section as shown; and C are lumps of coal passing down the chute and dropping from the upper section to the lower section, down which they pass and from which they eventually reach the coal pockets.

While only two sections of the entire chute are illustrated, said chute is sometimes of considerable length and the coal slidin down the same attains a high degree d of ve ocity. The result. is that where it drops from one section to another, or where 1t comes to rest at the bottom, some lumps of coal C will strike against other lumps and break them up into finer particles which is of course undesirable. In order to overcome this unintentional reduction in the size of the lumps, we interpose a retarder between two of the lower sections of the chute, as indicated at U and L on the drawings; and

it is the specific construction of this retarder which constitutes the subject-matter of the present invention.

In an overhead support 1 is mounted in the present instance an eye-bolt 2 whose threaded shank passes through the support a and receives a nut 3 by means of which the bolt can be adjusted vertically. Passing through the eye of this bolt is a pivot pin 4 whereon is hung the sheet metal yoke best seen in Fig. 2.. v This comprises two complementary and double-angled arms 5 and 6 havlng allned holes 7 through which the pin 4 passes, their bodies being separated by a spacing block 8 and connected with each.

other'by bolts or rivets 9 and 10 above and below or through said block. .Beneath the latter said arms diverge and are then bent downward into yoke-ar1ns adjacent sheet so that each sheet may be said to project tangentially from the roller or polygonal block 14 herewith illustrated.

In use this device is hung on the'overhead support about as shown in the drawings with reference to the lower section L of the chute, and at a slight distance below the lower end of the upper section U thereof. When now the coal C is sent down the length of the chute it drops from the upper section U against what might be called a paddle-wheel which is j ournaled in the yokearms 11 and 12 by means of the rod 13. The result is that the force of the lump of coal C is checked its striking against the face of one sheet as indicated at the point a,

11 and 12. .Through the lower ends of the latter is and immediately when it comes to rest it drops onto the projecting part 17 of the next sheetat the point indicated by I). Here its momentum has ceased and its weight causes it to exert a tendency to rotate the paddle-wheel in the direction of the arrow 0. As the entire paddle-wheel hangs within the lower chute-section L and between the upright sides thereof, without anything to prevent it from rotation, this tendency causes the rotation which continues as ion as the coal flows down the chute-section If the speed of the flowing coal is considerable and its volume is large, it mayswing' the entire frame a little forward as indicated by the arrow 01, but the weight of the paddle-wheel and yoke will cause the former to swing back again atonce. If it be found that the wheel hangs too low or too high,

the nut 3 can be turned on the shank of the eye-bolt 2 so as to adjust it vertically and therefore to raise or lower the axis of the paddle-wheel and cause the edges 17 of its blades or rubber sheets 18 to travel farther from or nearer to the bottom of the chute-section L.

The fact that the sheets are of rubber prevents the lumps of coal from'breaking as they strike the blades of the paddle wheel or the sides of the block, and the fact that the sheets yield slightly gives them a cushioning efiect which we find to be highly advantageous in the use of our device. lif

it should so happen that a lump of coal becomes caught between the extreme'edge l? of one paddle-blade and the bottom of the lower chute-section L, and the parts are plished by setting the chute-sections with respect to the retarder rather than moving the latter. 1

We find it unnecessary to revolve the paddle-wheel mechanically, as the impact of the down-flowing lumps C of coal and their weight on the blades will accomplish that result. We consider it essential, however, that the coal shall pass beneath the paddle wheel rather than over it, because in the latter instance the blades would tend to raise the coal and drop it from the lower end of the upper chute-section U onto the coal within the-lower chute-section L, and such dropping of coal lumps often breaks them. Finally, we find that rubber blades or sheets are not only altogether softer than rigid blades for the reason set forth above, but

they do not have a tendency to permit the coal to accumulate in the lower chute-section L, in case the latter be just above the breaker or separator; and therefore it is advisable tp use rubber or some other flexible material, even though the entire frame be pivoted on the pin 4. as above suggested.

We do not wish to be limited to the application of this chute and retarder to coal, or to the passage of any granular material along the chute-sections wherein it is simply flowing toward a machine, as it is obvious that the retardercould be used in other places Without detracting from its usefulness.

What is claimed as new is:

l. The combination with an inclined chute for coal and the like; of an under-shot paddle-wheel whose blades are struck by the flowing coal, a yoke in whose arms the body of the wheel is j ournaled, and a pivotal overhead support for the yoke.

2. The combination with an inclined chute for coal and the like; of an under-shot paddie-wheel whose blades project tangentially from its body and are struck by the flowing coal, a journal for said wheel, and an overhead pivotal support for said journal.

3. The combination with an inclined chute for coal and the like; of an under-shot paddle-wheel whose blades project tangentially, from its body and extend into said chute and are struck by the flowing coal, a yoke in whose arms the body of the wheel is journaled, and an adjustable overhead support l.

for the yoke. i

4c. The combination with an inclined chute for coal and the like; of an under-shot paddle-wheel whose blades project tangentially from its body and extend into said chute and are struck by the flowing coal, a yoke in whose arms the body of the wheei is journaled, an eye-bolt adjustably mounted in an overhead support, and a pivotal connection between its eye and the stem of said M from its body and extend into said chute and are struck by the flowing coal, a yoke in whose arms the body of the wheel is journaled, an overhead support having a horizontal slot, an eye-bolt whose stem projects through and is adjustable horizontally in said slot, a nut on the shank of the eye-bolt rendering the latter vertically adjustable,

. and a pivotal connection between its eye and the stem of said yoke, for the purpose set forth. 7 v

6. The combination with a chute for coal and the like composed of upper and lower section; of a paddle-wheel j ournaled across the lower section in line with the upper section and rotated by impact of the coal lumps sliding down said upper section.

. 7. The combination with a chute for coal and the like composed of upper and lower sections whereof the lower end of the upper section overlies the upper end of the lower section; of an under-shot paddle-wheel pivoted across the lower section just beneath the lower end of the upper section and rotated by impact of the coal lumps sliding down said upper section.

8. The combination with a chute for coal and the like composed of upper and lower sections whereof the lower end of the upper section overlies the upper end of the lower section; of an under-shot paddle-wheel having tangential blades projecting into the lower section and disposed beyond the lower end ofthe upper section, a yoke pivotally supporting the body of said wheel, and means for adjustably supporting the yoke.

9. The combination with a chute for coal and the like composed of upper and lower sections whereof the lower end of the upper section overlies the upper end of the lower section; of an under-shot paddle-wheel having tangential blades projecting into the lower section and disposed beyond the lower end of the upper section, a yoke pivotally supporting the body of said wheel, and an overhead support pivotally supporting the stem of said yoke so as to permit its fork and said paddle-wheel to swing away from the lower end of the upper chute-section, for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination with an inclined chute for coal and the like; of an undershot paddle-wheel consisting of a polygonal body journaled across and slightly remote from the lower end of said chute, and blades whereof each is secured upon one face of said body and having a portion projecting beyond said face and behind the rear edge of the next blade adjacent, the coal flowing down said chute and striking one blade where it overlies the body and fallii1g onto the projecting portion of the next blade,

for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof they affix their sig- Witnesses:

HEBERT E. HoY'r, IIARRY B. COLE. 

